In this review, we will be comparing Prime Tower and Motion 20i, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from SVS and MartinLogan.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of SVS Prime Tower and MartinLogan 20i first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | SVS Prime Tower | MartinLogan 20i |
|---|
| Brand | SVS
United States · founded 1998 | MartinLogan
United States · founded 1982 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" dome | 1.0 x 1.4" Folded Motion |
|---|
| Midrange | 4.5" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 6.5" Polypropylene | 2 x 5.5" Aluminum |
|---|
| Frequency response | 30-25k Hz | 46-25k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 87 dB | 90 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 4 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 20-250 watts | 20-200 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 18.23kg / 40.1lbs | 15.00kg / 33lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 36-5/8" x 8" x 11-11/16"
931.0 x 204.0 x 297.0mm | 35-5/8" x 6-7/8" x 12-1/16"
905.0 x 175.0 x 307.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the SVS Prime Tower and MartinLogan 20i speakers good for?
The size of the room in which you are planning to use these loudspeakers is an important decision
factor. Here we have compared their suitability to various sizes of environments considering their size
and max power parameters:
| Listening Environment* |
SVS Prime Tower |
MartinLogan 20i |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Good |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Average |
Poor |
(* Approximate Room sizes: Small < 100sq. ft / 9 m2,
Mid-size: 100-220 sq. ft / 9-20 m2, Large 220-400 sq. ft / 20-36 m2, Very Large: >
400 sq. ft / 36 m2.
Average Floor Height: 9" / 2.7m. Typical room sizes differ from country to country, and the actual
listening experience changes depending on floor height, room shape, surface materials, listening
position, speaker locations, etc.)
The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.
Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Prime Tower is a 3-way design whereas the Motion 20i is a 2-way speaker. 3-way designs utilize a midrange driver in addition to the tweeter and woofer on 2-way designs. Designing a crossover for a 3-way speaker is a complicated process and generally increases the overall cost of the speaker.
SVS Prime TowerMartinLogan 20i
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
SVS Prime Tower |
MartinLogan 20i |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1.0 x 1.4-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 4.5-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
2 x 5.5-inch
|
Prime Tower features a 1" aluminum dome Tweeter, a 4.5" Midrange and 2 x 6.5" Polypropylene Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 350Hz and 2100Hz. On the other hand, the Motion 20i features a 1.0 x 1.4" Folded Motion Tweeter and 2 x 5.5" Aluminum Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 500Hz and 2600Hz.
Frequency Response
Prime Tower has a frequency range of 30-25k Hz whereas Motion 20i has a frequency range of 46-25k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 30Hz, the Prime Tower can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Motion 20i's min frequency of 46Hz.
The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
Neither pair reaches down to 20Hz, the usual definition of full-range, which is normal for speakers of this size. If you want the bottom octave for movies or bass-heavy music, add a subwoofer to whichever you choose. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
Prime Tower is a 8 ohms speaker compared to the Motion 20i which has a nominal impedance of 4 ohms. Lower impedance speakers, especially the ones that are rated at 4 ohms may put more pressure on the amplifier unit especially when played at high volume levels, so make sure the amp you pair with the Motion 20i can provide this impedance level.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Prime Tower sensitivity is rated at 87 dB and the Motion 20i's is rated at 90 dB. This 3 dB difference makes the MartinLogan 20i a more sensitive speaker compared to SVS Prime Tower, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing Speakers
Power Range
Power
range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. Staying
within that range gives nominal performance; driving the speaker beyond its maximum wattage can damage it.
Prime Tower can handle a max power of 250 watts RMS, whereas Motion 20i has a max power handling value of 200 watts RMS, 50 watts less than the Prime Tower.
Note that higher power handling does not make a speaker louder: that depends mainly on
sensitivity and impedance. The calculator below shows how loud each of these actually plays
on a real amplifier.
Which plays louder on your amplifier?
Starting with a popular amplifier - change it to the one you own, or any you are
considering, and watch both numbers move.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Motion 20i features Custom 5-way bi-wire tool-less binding posts posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. Prime Tower has a 5-Way post which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
SVS Prime Tower's 5-Way post terminals
MartinLogan 20i's Custom 5-way bi-wire tool-less binding posts terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both Prime Tower and Motion 20i have rear firing ports. Rear ported speakers generally need more room between the backside of the speaker and the wall compared to sealed and front/bottom ported speakers. Placing the speakers too close to the walls may cause the bass to sound boomy.
If you are limited in space and can't get the speakers away from the backwall, check our Speakers with Front Firing Ports page.
Physical Specs
The size of a speaker can sometimes be an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare SVS Prime Tower's and MartinLogan 20i's external dimensions. SVS Prime Tower has external dimensions of 931.0 x 204.0 x 297.0mm (36-5/8 x 8 x 11-11/16inch) whereas MartinLogan 20i has external dimensions of 905.0 x 175.0 x 307.0mm (35-5/8 x 6-7/8 x 12-1/16inch).
MartinLogan 20i is 29mm narrower and 26mm shorter than SVS Prime Tower but it is also 10mm deeper.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of SVS Prime Tower and MartinLogan 20i in scale.
Comparison image of SVS Prime Tower and MartinLogan 20i Size and External Dimensions
Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base surface area of the SVS Prime Tower is approximately 605.9cm2 / 93.9inch2 and base area of the MartinLogan 20i is approximately 537.3cm2 / 83.3inch2. The Prime Tower requires 13% more surface area than the Motion 20i which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.
Weight Comparison The weight of a loudspeaker can become an important factor if you need to move and reposition the unit often. Weight of a speaker can also "sometimes" be an indicator of the rigidity of the enclosure and the quality of the internal components used. The SVS Prime Tower weighs 18.23kg / 40.1lbs and the MartinLogan 20i weighs 15.00kg / 33lbs. This makes the Prime Tower 22% heavier than the Motion 20i.
Here is a comparison of how Prime Tower and Motion 20i's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.
Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
What's in the Box of SVS Prime Tower?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of Prime Tower:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Grille (pre-installed)
- 4 Elastomer isolation feet (pre-installed)
- 4 Spike feet
- 4 Nuts
- 4 Protective discs
- Owners Manual
- SVS brochure
- Online Product Registration Card
What's in the Box of MartinLogan 20i?
Here are the items that come with the Motion 20i:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- 2 Grilles
- 4 Rubber feet (pre-installed)
- 4 Spike feet (w/ nuts attached)
- Users Manual
- Warranty/Registration Information
 Max Input Power |
250 watts
vs
200 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
4 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
 Woofer Size |
6.5 inches
vs
5.5 inches
|
Larger woofer |
|
Low Frequency Response |
30 Hz
vs
46 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 Price per pair* |
1400USD
vs
2000USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
 Sensitivity |
90 dB
vs
87 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Bi-Amping and Bi-Wiring |
Yes
vs
No
|
Allows bi-amping and bi-wiring connections |
 Height |
905mm
vs
931mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
537cm2
vs
605cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
| General |
SVS Prime Tower |
MartinLogan Motion 20i |
| Brand |
SVS |
MartinLogan |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
20-250 watts |
20-200 watts |
| Sensitivity |
87 dB |
90 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
4 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
30-25k Hz |
46-25k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
6.5" |
5.5" |
| Woofer Composition |
Polypropylene |
Aluminum |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
1.0 x 1.4" |
| Tweeter Type |
dome |
Folded Motion |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
4.5" |
No |
| Crossover Frequency |
350Hz and 2100Hz |
500Hz and 2600Hz |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
rear |
| Suggested Break-in Period |
n/a |
Allow 72 hours of break-in at 90 dB |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
931.0mm (36.7") |
905.0mm (35.6") |
| Width |
204.0mm (8") |
175.0mm (6.9") |
| Depth |
297.0mm (11.7") |
307.0mm (12.1") |
| Weight |
18.23kg (40.1lbs) |
15.00kg (33lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
MDF/Wood-grain vinyl |
MDF/Lacquer |
| Available Colors |
Black |
Gloss Black, Matt White, Red Walnut |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
No |
Yes |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
No single best speaker here - they are built to different priorities, and the right one depends on your room, your amplifier and what you listen to.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | A | SVS Prime Tower digs deeper - 30Hz against 46Hz. |
| Amplifier needs | B | MartinLogan 20i is more sensitive (90dB vs 87dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Amplifier match | A | SVS Prime Tower is the easier load at 8 ohms; the other is 4 ohms and wants an amplifier rated for it. |
| Headroom | A | SVS Prime Tower takes more power (250W vs 200W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size | depends | Similar cabinet size - neither is easier to fit. |
| Expandability | B | MartinLogan 20i: bi-amping. MartinLogan 20i sits in a wider range (18 models), so a matched surround system is easier later. |
| Price | A | SVS Prime Tower is cheaper - $1,400 against $2,000, about 30% less. |
A SVS Prime Tower B MartinLogan 20i
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, your system or how you will use them. Only specs published for both speakers are judged; anything missing on either side is left out rather than guessed.
Which should you choose?
SVS Prime Tower has the edge on paper, though the margin is not large. The rows marked "depends" may matter more to you than the score does. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 46Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. Match it to your room: we rate SVS Prime Tower the better fit for a very large room, and MartinLogan 20i for a mid-size room.
And remember what a spec sheet cannot show: how each looks in your room and whether the finish suits it, what dealer support and warranty are like where you live, and how they actually sound to you. If you can hear them first - ideally with your own music - that will tell you more than any number above.